


Sunshine's New Life

by belasgrl



Category: Top Cat (Cartoon)
Genre: Christmas, Family, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28284279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belasgrl/pseuds/belasgrl
Summary: A collection of short stories about Sunshine, Top Cat, and the gang. The first one is a Christmas story, which I wrote on Christmas Eve 2020.
Kudos: 1





	1. Christmas Eve

It was Christmas Eve night. The next day would be the first Christmas Sunshine would spend as part of a family. 

The teenager slowly opened her bedroom door and peeked out. From her room, she could see Brain sleeping on the kitchen counter. Carefully exiting her room, she went to see the Christmas tree, just to take a quick look. 

Top Cat had wanted to get an aluminum tree, but the others insisted on getting a real one for Sunny's first Christmas. They all managed to dig one up in a forest outside the city. They had no idea if it belonged to anyone, but it was the perfect size for the apartment. The cats and Sunny set the tree up and had decorated it with tinsel and ornaments. 

Sunshine stood, admiring the decorations, what she could see in the dim light, anyway. Garland was strung all around the apartment, and seven stockings hung up on a wall. The girl was surprised that they were all already filled with presents and even more startled that there were gifts under the tree. This was a sight she had only seen in magazines. 

As far back as she could remember, Sunshine had spent every Christmas alone. To her, it had just been another ordinary day, more or less. She remembered how miserable she used to be, homeless and by herself, and seeing families rush home with their groceries for feasts and their presents for their loved ones stung just a little bit more during the holidays. 

Now, however, Sunshine had a nice home, six fathers, and even a godfather. All of them made sure she was always well-fed, safe, and happy. She didn't even care if she got any Christmas presents because she already had everything she wanted. 

One, two, three, four, five. She only counted five of her dads in the room. Choo Choo was laying in the recliner, Fancy-Fancy and Benny were on the couch, and Spook was sleeping against the wall under the stockings. The only one missing was Top Cat. 

Sunshine looked at the Christmas tree, her curiosity growing. Even though she really didn't care about gifts, she still wondered what she got. It couldn't hurt to take a peek, right? 

She sat next to the tree and looked at the gifts until she found one with her name on it. She picked up the package that was wrapped in red wrapping paper and quietly shook it. What could it be? Stockings? A new record? Makeup? 

"And just WHAT do you think you're doing?" Sunny heard a voice near her ask. 

Sunshine quickly put the present back under the tree. "Nothing!" 

"Uh, huh. Trying to get a head start before the rest of us?" Top Cat came out from behind the tree. 

Sunny asked, "What are you doing behind the tree?" 

"Making sure nobody tries to open any of the presents before Christmas morning. Everybody has tried at least once, now." Top Cat sat by her and ruffled her hair. "What am I going to do with you, Sunny? It's a full-time job trying to keep everybody out of the gifts." 

She giggled. "Don't tell me you haven't tried to unwrap one, Dad."

Top Cat smirked. "Okay, you got me, but I couldn't help myself. Everyone becomes a kid at Christmas."

The clock struck midnight, indicating it was Christmas morning. 

"Well, since it's officially Christmas morning, I guess you can open one of your gifts," Top Cat told his daughter. He reached under the tree and pulled out a present that was from himself. 

"You sure it's okay?" Sunshine asked. 

"Sure! Go ahead and open it!" he answered, excited. 

Sunshine tore off the wrapping paper as quietly as she could. Putting it to the side, she looked at the present underneath. It was a yellow jewelry box with a mirror and different compartments inside. "A jewelry box..." she said, trying to steady her voice. "And it's my favorite color." 

"Do you like it?" 

Sunshine hugged Top Cat, who chuckled, good-naturedly. "I guess that's a 'yes'." 

Sunny sniffled and pulled away, picking up the jewelry box again. "Thank you, Dad. I love it, but you didn't have to get me anything." 

"Ah! I won't hear it! Every kid needs to have a good Christmas, especially my kid." He held her in his arms. "Merry Christmas, Sunshine." 

"Merry Christmas, Dad. I love you." 

Top Cat looked at her. "You know, I think that's the best gift I've ever gotten." They smiled at each other, then he said, "You better try to get some more sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us. Oh, and be sure you hide the evidence," he told her, handing her the wrapping paper. 

Sunny laughed. "Okay. See you in the morning." With that, she took the jewelry box and the wrapping paper to her room. She couldn't wait until later. It was already starting to be the best Christmas ever!


	2. Better Off

One afternoon after school, Sunshine was sitting at the kitchen table, doing homework. The front door opened, and Fancy-Fancy walked into the apartment with one of his flings. Sunshine briefly looked up, then went back to her homework. She was used to one of her dads bringing home a girlfriend sometimes, and she didn't mind. 

"Oh, Fancy! What a nice place you got here!" the female cat holding Fancy-Fancy's arm said. Before he could reply, she noticed Sunshine. "Who's that?" 

Fancy-Fancy introduced Sunshine, proudly. "This is my daughter, Sunshine." 

The other cat frowned. "You didn't tell me you had a kid!" She hit Fancy with her purse and stormed off. 

"Wait! I can explain!" Fancy-Fancy tried to follow, but soon gave up. He went back into the apartment and closed the door.

Sunshine stayed at the table. "I'm so sorry, Papa," she told him, guiltily. 

"It's not your fault. Besides, there's other fish in the sea," he told her, smiling, though she could tell he was upset about the interaction. 

Later, Spook came home from work. "Man, I'm like, beat," he said, then sat on the couch. "Hey, Sunny. How's it going?" 

"Fine, she replied. "I just finished my homework." 

"Cool. You wanna, like, play cards or something?" 

"No, Pop. You can take a nap if you need to. I'm just going to...hang out in my room for awhile." 

Sunshine mostly stayed in her bedroom for the next couple of days. The others began to notice that she was keeping to herself and got worried. Top Cat asked them if they knew what was going on. Fancy-Fancy suggested that it may have had something to do with what happened to him a couple of days before. "Why don't you talk to her since you were the one involved?" Top Cat suggested. 

Fancy agreed, then went to Sunny's bedroom door and knocked. "Come in," she said in a tired voice.

Upon entering the room, Fancy became alarmed. Pieces of paper were strewn all around the floor in tiny pieces, like snow. Sunshine looked sad and a bit sick. The brown cat rushed to her. "Sunshine, what's the matter?!"

"Nothing." 

"It's not nothing! You look terrible!" 

She immediately hugged him and cried. "It's all my fault, Papa! I'm so sorry!" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"It's my fault you can't get a date, it's my fault you guys are exhausted all the time, and it's my fault everything has changed so much for everybody!" Sunshine sobbed. "Everybody would be better off if I hadn't gone into the alley in the first place!" 

"Hey, hey! Don't talk like that!" Fancy exclaimed, worried. He held her in his arms. "You got this all wrong! You're the best thing that has ever happened to all of us! If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have our own daughter to love and take care of. We wouldn't have gotten any kind of a stable life." 

"But what about your dates?" Sunny asked, her tears soaking his white scarf. 

"I can get more. If chicks want to dump me just because I have a kid, then they ain't the gals for me," Fancy told her. "Besides, they don't know the whole story. They only know you're my kid; they don't know all the history you have with the gang."

"I'm just an interference." 

"No way! You're not interfering at all!" He hugged her, tighter. "We all love you and wouldn't trade you for anything. Okay?" 

"Okay," Sunny sniffled. 

"Let's get you some ice cream. My treat," Fancy said. 

"If you're sure." 

"Absolutely. Come on." 

They went to the nearest ice cream shop. As the two got their orders, a female cat approached Fancy-Fancy. "Is that your daughter?" she asked, curiously. 

"Sure is!" Fancy cheerfully replied.

"Oh, I just love a family man." She wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to him. "Call me," she said, blowing him a kiss. 

"Wow!" Fancy exclaimed, immediately smitten. "You see, Sunny? Everything eventually works out in the end!"


	3. The Nightmare

Choo Choo fell asleep on the couch after coming home from working at the casino. At about 3 AM, a scream jolted him awake, and he ran into Sunshine's room. Sunshine was sitting upright, pale and shaking. 

Choo Choo asked, alarmed, "What happened?" 

"I h-had a n-nightmare," the teenager told him. 

Relieved that she was unharmed, the pink cat asked, "You want to talk about it?" 

"No, Papi," she answered. 

"Would a hug make you feel better?" 

She nodded, and he hugged her. 

In the morning, Top Cat came in. He shook Choo Choo's shoulder. Choo Choo sat up and yawned. "Hey, T.C." 

"Mornin', Chooch. How'd last night go?" 

"Not good, T.C. Sunny had a nightmare. It took me forever to get her to go back to sleep. She wouldn't talk about it, so I have no idea what it was about." 

Top Cat frowned. "I'll try to get it out of her."

When Top Cat and Sunshine were alone, Sunshine got out some cereal and milk while Top Cat made some coffee. He said, "Choo Choo said you had a rough night." 

"Yeah." 

"Mind telling me about it?"

When she wouldn't answer, Top Cat poured her a small cup of coffee. "It'll help if you get if off your chest."

Sunny paused, then took the mug. "I've been having a lot of bad dreams about the guy who tried to drown me. It's like I keep living that moment over and over." She took a sip. 

Top Cat looked concerned. "Why didn't you say something before?"

"I didn't want to make anybody sad, but...it's getting really hard to deal with. I haven't been able to sleep. I can't even take baths without being scared." 

Top Cat hugged her and didn't let go. Kissing the top of her head, he told her, "It's all over with. He can't hurt you anymore. You're safe." 

"I know. None of you guys would let anything happen to me. It's just bad memories."

Sunshine tried to brush it off, seeing he was worried, but he wouldn't forget about it so easily. 

When he got the chance, Top Cat spoke to the rest of the gang about what was going on. They all agreed that Sunshine should go to a therapist. Normally, Top Cat wouldn't think therapy was helpful, but he didn't want their daughter to keep suffering. 

All of her fathers told Sunshine that they were going to take her to a therapist. At first, Sunny objected, but when she saw how adamant they were about this, she gave in. 

As the weeks passed, Sunshine had fewer and fewer nightmares. She had her bad days, but she put a lot of effort into working through her emotions. 

One afternoon when Top Cat picked Sunshine up from the therapist's office, he asked, "Need a ride?" 

Sunshine got in the passenger's seat. "I don't have money on me for the fare." 

He chuckled. "I guess I could give you a free ride, just this once. So, how'd the appointment go?" 

"It was okay. I'm kinda glad you guys convinced me to go." 

"Well, as long as it's helping, it's worth it," Top Cat told her. "We were all getting worried about you."

"You were?" 

"Yeah, Sunny. You had all those nightmares and were really glum all the time. It's not good to be down in the dumps so much." 

"I guess you're right. Thanks for helping me through this stuff. I just wish I could return the favor for all of you." 

"You already have, more than you'll ever know," Top Cat said as he parked in the car in front of the apartment building. "Come on. Let's go inside and order a pizza."


	4. A Visit from Grandma

Benny, Top Cat, and Sunshine were sitting around the kitchen table one morning. Benny was reading a letter. "Oh, geez," he said, sadly. 

"What's the matter, Benny?" Top Cat asked. 

"My mom's coming to New York for a visit." 

"Why is that bad?" Sunny asked. 

"She thinks I'm a big shot," Benny explained. "Last time she was here, we made her think I was the mayor." 

Sunshine almost choked on her cereal. "What?! How did you manage that?!" 

Top Cat patted her back. "Easy, kid. And it took a lot of quick thinking and moving to pull it off." 

"But if she sees me now, she'll know I'm a loser!" Benny cried out. 

"We'll think of something," Top Cat assured him. "If we have to, we'll get the gang together and do the whole thing all over again."

"But if Ma sees me working at the zoo, she'll know the truth." 

"Listen, we'll all take the day off and do what we did before. It'll be a piece of cake. We'll just have to keep her busy all day." 

Seeing how upset Benny was, Sunny told him, "I'll help, Daddy. She won't suspect a thing." 

Benny hugged her, sniffling. "Thank you, sweetie. It means a lot to me." 

The day that Mrs. Ball arrived, the entire gang, including Sunshine, greeted her at the airport. Benny was wearing a suit and hat. His mother greeted them all with a smile. "Hello, Benjamin. My, what a crowd!" 

She looked at Sunshine, who was wearing a gold dress and a blonde wig. "And who is this young lady?" 

"This is up and coming Broadway star, Calendra Canción," Top Cat answered. 

Sunny shook Mrs. Ball's paw. "It's so nice to meet you, Mrs. Ball. What an honor it is to meet the mother of the mayor of New York City!" 

"Oh, Benjamin, you know so many famous people!" Mrs. Ball exclaimed, impressed. 

They rode around the city, and at lunch time, they stopped at a fancy restaurant and ate. Afterwards, the bill got passed around, each member of the gang groaning at the amount. They bit the bullet, however, and managed to pay it. 

The group continued to treat Mrs. Ball to a day out. They saw a show and toured a museum. Everything was going well until they stopped at Central Park. Sunshine suddenly tripped while they were walking around. When she fell, her wig slipped off. Everyone in the gang, momentarily forgetting the plan, ran to her. "Are you alright, Sunny?" Benny asked. 

"Y-yeah. I just hurt my ankle," she said. "I don't think it's broken." 

"Stay there. I'll get some ice for it," Benny said, while the others helped Sunshine sit on a bench. 

Benny quickly came back with a small bag of ice and put it on her ankle. "Don't move it much. You'll be okay, Sunny."

Mrs. Ball watched the scene, confused. "Benjamin, what's going on?" 

Top Cat quickly said, "Miss Canción had a slight accident. It's all being taken care of." 

Benny tried to hug Sunshine to comfort her, but she gently pushed him away. He looked hurt by this action. 

Trying to get back into character, Sunshine said, painfully, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Ball, but I'll be alright. The worst part about this is that I won't be able to go on stage for awhile." 

Benny looked around, frowning, then demanded, unhappily, "Stop this. Stop all of this." 

Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at him, confused. 

"Ma, there's something I have to tell you." 

"The mayor is such a kind soul," Sunny interrupted. "Don't you dare stop this outing on my account, Mr. Ball." 

Benny shook his head. "Ma, I'm not the mayor. I've been lying to you all this time." 

Sunny whispered, "Daddy, don't do this. Everything was going fine until I messed it up." 

"You didn't mess anything up, Sunshine. It's time I tell my mom the truth." 

Benny told his mother about all the lies he had written and about how everyone had come together to make her think he was the mayor. He told her what he had really done with his life up until that point. When he was finished, he said, "And that's the honest truth, Ma. I'm not the mayor. I'm not rich or famous. I'm just...me." 

"Please, don't be mad; this is my fault," Sunny told them all, starting to cry. "If I hadn't fallen, we would have pulled this off. I'm a disappointment."

Benny immediately hugged her. "No, Sunny. You didn't do anything wrong, and you're not a disappointment at all. I appreciate you trying to help. I love you more than anything." 

Mrs. Ball smiled. "Benjamin, who is this girl, really?" 

"Ma, this is my daughter, Sunshine," Benny replied. "Well, our daughter." 

"We adopted her," said Choo Choo. 

"All 6 of us," Brain added. 

Benny's mom stated, "I'm so proud of you, son." 

"You are?" Benny asked, shocked. 

She nodded. "I don't care if you have a fancy title or a big house or a lot of money. What matters to me is if you're happy." 

"You're not disappointed in me?" 

"Of course not! You're my little baby boy!" She hugged him. "And I think it's very noble that you adopted a child. You obviously care about her very much." 

"I do, Ma. She's my ray of Sunshine."

"Well, how about we get Sunny home? She needs to rest her ankle," Top Cat said. "Mrs. Ball, will you join us for dinner?" 

"I'd love to," the elderly blue cat replied. 

At the apartment, the cats helped Sunshine to the couch, then they made dinner. Mrs. Ball sat by Sunny. "Since you're Benjamin's daughter, that makes you my granddaughter," she told the teenager, happily. 

"I guess it does," Sunny said. 

"Oh, I'm going to spoil you rotten!" 

"You don't have to-" 

Top Cat interrupted, "Don't argue with your grandma, Sunshine. Grandmothers are good for spoiling kids."

"Okay, if you want," Sunshine told her. "I've never had a grandma before." 

"Well, then I'll be the best one I can be!" 

As they sat around the table, eating, Benny said, "I feel so much better now that I don't have to pretend to be something I'm not." 

"You never had to pretend," Mrs. Ball told him. "A parent loves their child no matter what." 

Benny looked at Sunshine, then back at his mother. "You know what, Ma? You're absolutely right."


	5. The Talent Contest

The smoke alarm went off in the apartment. Sunshine ran out of her room and found Brain in the kitchen. He had burnt some toast and had set off the alarm and was fanning the smoke with a newspaper. 

Coughing, she quickly opened a window. "Baba, are you okay?" she asked. 

"Yeah, Sunny. I just burned the toast." 

"That's okay."

"If you scrape it off, it won't taste too bad," Brain told her, setting the newspaper down. 

Sunshine glanced at the paper and said, "Wait a minute." She picked it up and read it. "There's going to be a talent contest in 3 weeks." 

"That's cool. Are you going to sign up?" 

"Do you think I could?"

"Sure. You have a pretty voice. I'd say go for it!" 

"Okay. I'll talk to everyone else about it." 

Sunshine talked to all of her dads except Top Cat. For some reason, she had the most difficulty approaching him about anything serious or something she wanted to do. She couldn't figure out why. 

One evening after Top Cat returned from work, Sunny approached him with the newspaper. "Hey, Dad?" 

"Yeah, Sunny?" 

"Can I talk to you about something?" 

"Sure, kid. What's on your mind?" 

She handed him the newspaper. "There's a contest going on in 3 weeks. Do you think I could sign up for it?" 

Top Cat looked over the article, quickly. "Yeah! This would be a great idea!" 

"You really mean it?"

"Sure! It's a talent contest, isn't it?" When she nodded, he said, "And you got talent! Do you know what you're going to do?" 

"I want to sing."

"Great! We'll find a pianist to accompany you. Do you have a song picked out yet?" 

"Not yet." 

"You better get on it. You only have a few weeks to rehearse."

Benny was chosen to be Sunshine's accompanist, and they practiced almost every day after she chose a song. 

Soon, the day of the talent contest arrived. Top Cat, Choo Choo, Brain, Spook, and Fancy-Fancy were all there to watch Sunshine perform. Even Charlie Dibble showed up to show his support. 

Sunshine went backstage and waited for her turn to sing. She wore a bright yellow dress, and her short hair was trimmed and even. She was shaking, and she tried to steady her nerves. 

Suddenly, Top Cat touched her shoulder, which made her jump. "Relax, Sunshine. It's just me," he told her. "You okay?" 

"I'm really scared. What if I mess up? What if they don't like me?" 

"You'll do great, kid. They'll love you! You'll have them eating out of the palm of your hand!" 

This reassured Sunshine, and she hugged him. "Knock 'em dead," he told her before going back out to the audience. 

Soon enough, her name was called, and she went onstage. Benny placed the sheet music on the piano. Sunshine took a hold of the microphone, and once the first note was played, she forgot all about her nervousness and sang the way she had rehearsed the song. She almost got distracted once when Brain took a picture, but she managed to mostly ignore it.

When the song was over, Sunshine put the microphone back on the stand and breathed in, sharply. She could hear the crowd cheer. The loudest ones were her fathers and her godfather. She smiled at the crowd and waved. Brain took another picture. 

Sunshine went back behind the curtain and waited for the other contestants to perform. When all of them were done, the judges decided on the first, second, and third place winners. Sunshine was announced as the first place winner! She was awarded a trophy and had her picture taken for the newspaper. No parents were prouder at that moment than those six cats. 

After the show was over, Sunshine went backstage so she could get off of the stage. A man got her attention. "Excuse me. I'm Herman Lee, a talent scout. I'd like to talk to you about signing up with Starfield Agency." 

Before Sunshine could answer, Top Cat approached them. He got in front of Sunny and shook Mr. Lee's hand. "Good afternoon to you, sir. I'm Miss Sunshine's agent." 

"You're her agent?" 

"That's right. I see you've taken an interest in my client." 

"She is very talented. The agency I work for may want to sign her up for a record label." 

Top Cat looked at Sunshine. "Well, Sunshine, what do you think? You want to be a star?" 

Sunny paused. It would be a great opportunity, if this guy was legit. "Can I think about it?" she asked. 

"Of course," Mr. Lee answered, holding out a business card. "Please call during business hours so we can discuss this further."

Top Cat took the card, and Mr. Lee walked away. After putting the card in his pocket, Top Cat walked with Sunshine off the stage. They were met by the other cats and Dibble, who all congratulated Sunshine on her win. To celebrate, they got ice cream. 

Later that day, Sunshine sat on the couch, looking at the business card. Top Cat came in and sat by her. "You thinking about accepting that offer?" 

"I don't know," she replied. "I know I'm a good singer, but..." 

"But what?" 

"What if it's too good to be true? What if it's a scam?"

"That's why we're going to call the number and look into it." 

"Do you think I should do it?" 

"Yeah! It'd be a great opportunity, if the guy isn't lying. You can make a lot of money from it!"

Sunshine's face turned slightly pale. Of course, it was all about the money. This was just another scheme. Top Cat hadn't really changed much. 

She stood up and walked toward the front door. "Sunny, what's the matter?" Top Cat asked, confused. 

Sunshine sniffled, but her voice had an angry tone. "That's all this is about: money. I'm still a pawn to you." 

Top Cat shook his head. "No! I was just saying-" 

"That's all I've ever been to you, and that's all I'll ever be. I'm just a way for you to get more cash. Well, I won't be used by you anymore!" With that, she ran out of the apartment. By the time Top Cat got to the door, she was gone.

Sunshine didn't care that it was late; she couldn't bear to be in that apartment another minute. She didn't want to believe that her new life had all been a lie, but that was a possibility she'd have to face. 

Exhausted, she sat down on the steps of a library, thinking about what she would do. If she had to be homeless again, she could do it, but it would be so much harder now that she had had a home and love...at least from five caretakers. 

Sunshine began crying and hugged herself.

Suddenly, she heard Dibble's voice ask, softly, "Sunshine?" 

She looked up and saw her godfather in regular clothes. "Charlie?" 

"What are you doing out here by yourself so late?"

She looked away. "I'm not going back." 

"What happened?" he sat by her. 

"It was all a lie," Sunshine said, bitterly, wiping her eyes. "Top Cat never cared about me; he just wanted to use me to get money. He never-...You know what? I don't need him. I'm going to be fine." 

"Sunny, you got this all wrong. Top Cat loves you. You're his daughter. He always cared about you. He was real torn up when you were in the hospital after you almost drowned." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Top Cat was there by your side pretty much the whole time. I never saw him so...scared. He was a wreck. We all had to beg him to sleep. He was scared if he slept, you wouldn't wake up." 

Sunshine paused. "He...he never told me that." 

"T.C. doesn't like to show his emotions much, but I know he loves you an awful lot." He stood up. "Let's take you back home, alright?" 

"Okay," Sunny said, calmed down, standing up with his help. "Thanks, Charlie." 

"Anytime. Just don't run off again." 

They soon got back to the apartment. Dibble knocked on the door. Top Cat immediately opened it. When he saw Sunshine, who was looking down at the ground, he hugged her. "Thanks for finding her, Dibble. I owe you one." 

"She's safe; that's all that matters to me." 

After Dibble left, Top Cat brought Sunshine inside. Before he could say anything, Sunshine spoke, first. "Just tell me one thing: do you love me? Did you ever love me, or am I just a pawn for you to make money? I need to know the truth." 

"Sunshine..." Top Cat held back tears, swallowing. "You're my kid. Of course I love you." 

She looked away and sat down on the couch. He sat by her. "Okay, so maybe at the very beginning, I thought you were just a member of the gang, someone who could bring in dough, but things are different now. We're a family, and we all want to take care of you." 

"If you still want to do this singing thing, I'll support you, but not because of the cash you'd be making. It'd be because it's important to you," Top Cat told her. "No matter what you decide, I'll still love you." 

"Even if I never become rich and famous?"

"Even if you never become rich and famous." 

Sunshine hugged him. "I'm sorry I ran off."

"Yeah, well, you gotta quit doing that. You could get hurt."

Sunshine thought of what Charlie had told her. She wasn't sure if she should bring it up, but she wanted to hear it from Top Cat, himself. "Like that one time?" 

"Mm, hm," he said, holding her. 

She took a deep breath. "Were you really that scared?" 

"It was the worst week of my life," Top Cat answered, then, he paused. "You were out for days, and we didn't know if you'd pull through. We're all really lucky you made it; we'd be lost without you. I definitely would be." 

Tears filled her eyes. "You mean it?" 

He kissed the top of her head, then stroked her hair. "Yep. You're my only Sunshine, and nobody can replace you."

"I...I didn't realize you cared so much." 

Top Cat rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's not like I got a job or a place so I could take care of you or anything." He ruffled her hair. "Come on, Sunny. Give me some credit."

"I guess I overreacted. I should have let you talk." 

"Yes, you should have." Then, Top Cat looked at the clock. "You better get to bed. We need to call that number in the morning."

"Okay." Sunshine got up and opened her bedroom door, then she turned around and said, "Good night, Dad. I love you. And I'm sorry." 

"I love you, too, Sunny. Get some sleep." 

Sunshine went into her room and fell asleep after awhile. The next day would determine if she'd have a singing career or not.


End file.
